Social networking sites 'infect businesses with viruses'

The use of social networking sites has caused one in four businesses to be infected with viruses, according to a report. Sophos has revealed the findings of its recent research into the use of sites such as MySpace and Twitter. It found that 62 per cent of system administration staff worry employees share too much personal data on their profiles on the portals. Cybercriminals are targeting these sorts of people as "unprecedented" amounts of information are being updated every day, it said. Senior technology consultant at the firm Graham Cluley commented the initial concerns about Facebook – that it hampered staff productivity – are now being replaced by worries about security. "Cybercriminals choose to exploit these sites for nefarious purposes - both innocent users and companies are finding themselves in the firing line," he said. Mr Cluley warned that problem could "intensify" if anti-virus measures were not implemented – and if people did not "wise up" to the issue. Yesterday, Unisys advised people could avoid becoming victims by being "sensible" when browsing.